Osoyoos Oyster Festival: Canadian Craft Beer & Oyster Pairing Competition Winners

The inaugural Canadian Craft Beer & Oyster Pairing Competition was held on April 26 during the third annual Osoyoos Oyster Festival. The competition was sponsored by Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort and Spa, Flavours World, CAMRA Vancouver, BC Craft Brewers Guild and Codfathers Seafood Market. The competition was divided into ten Beer categories, plus a Mead and Cider category.

Judges for the inaugural Canadian Craft Beer and Oyster pairing competition, included: Adam Chatburn, president of CAMRA Vancouver; Dan Clapson a Calgary-based food writer and contributor to Food Network Canada, Avenue and WestJet’s up! magazine; Martin Lewis who is on the board of directors for the Okanagan Wine Society; and Chef Jonathan Chovancek, and Bartender/Sommelier Lauren Mote, owners of Bittered Sling Extracts.

The categories and winners for this year’s competition were:

Best in Show: Cannery Brewing “Blackberry Porter”

Ale:
Winner: Parallel 49 Brewing Company “Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale”
Runner Up: Steamworks Brewery “Collaboration Ale”

Bitter:
Winner: R & B Brewing “East Side Bitter”
Runner Up: Firehall Brewing “Stoked Ember Ale”

IPA:
Winner: Bridge Brewing Company “Hopilano IPA”
Runner Up: Tree Brewing “Raw IPA”

Lager:
Winner: Moon Under Water Brewery “Creepy Uncle Dunkel”
Runner Up: Stanley Park Brewing “Belgian Style Pilsner”

Porter:
Winner: Cannery Brewing “Blackberry Porter”
Runner Up: Four Winds Brewing “Oat Porter”

Stout:
Winner: Old Yale Brewing Co “Sasquatch Stout”
Runner Up: Granville Island Brewing “Shamrock Potato Stout”

Wheat:
Winner: Tree Brewing “Mellow Moon Pineapple Hefewiezen”
Runner Up: Lighthouse Brewing Company Wheat Beer

Wild Card:
Winner: Four Winds Brewing “Triplicity Belgian Tripel”
Runner Up: Cannery Brewing “Squire Scotch Ale”

Mead:
Winner: Meadow Vista Artisan Farm Winery “Cloud Horse”

Cider:
Winner: Tree Brewing “Dukes Cider”
Runner Up: Left Field “Little Dry Cider”

Claire Sear, founder of the inaugural Canadian Craft Beer & Oyster Competition reported: “Beer and oysters have a long history and with the growing Canadian craft beer market, we thought this was the perfect time to add a craft beer oyster competition alongside our Canadian Oyster wine competition. With over 70 entries for a first year competition, the judges had to make tough calls and it all came down to the best pairing of the oyster with the beer.”

Brianne Hearle, Director of Marketing for Destination Osoyoos, states: “We are pleased to be hosting the Canadian Craft Beer and Oyster Competition and thrilled with the number and quality of the entries. With steep competition, the judges certainly had their work cut out for them but we’ve ended up with an exceptional list of craft beers for oyster lovers to enjoy. We can’t wait to see what next year brings.”

The Osoyoos Oyster Festival is sponsored by Destination Osoyoos and was created to showcase the sustainable oysters produced by the farmers and guilds of the nearby West Coast together with the award-winning wines of the Oliver Osoyoos Winery Association. Craft beer, mead and cider have now been added to the festival for even more oyster pairing fun! For more information on the festival visit online at: oooysterfestival.com
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